Gum

Pronunciation

• enPR: gÅ­m, IPA: É¡ÊŒm
• Rhymes: -ÊŒm

From Middle English gome, from Old English gōma ("palate"), from Proto-Germanic *gōmô, *gaumô ("palate") (compare German Gaumen, Old Norse gómr whence Icelandic gómur), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰh₂u-mo- (compare Tocharian A ko, Tocharian B koyṃ ("mouth"), Lithuanian gomurỹs ("palate")), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₂w- ("to gape, yawn"). More at yawn.

Full definition of gum

Noun

1. (often in the plural) The flesh round the teeth.

Synonyms

• gingiva (medical)

Derived terms

Verb

1. To chew, especially of a toothless person or animal.
2. (transitive) To deepen and enlarge the spaces between the teeth of (a worn saw), as with a gummer.

Middle English gomme, gumme, from Anglo-Norman gome, from Late Latin gumma, from Latin cummi, gummi, from Ancient Greek κόμμι, from Egyptian ḳmj-t (qemỵt, qemài) 'acanthus resin'.

Noun

1. (uncountable) Any of various viscous or sticky substances that are exuded by certain plants.
2. (uncountable) Any viscous or sticky substance resembling those that are exuded by certain plants.
3. (uncountable) Chewing gum.
4. (countable) A single piece of chewing gum.Do you have a gum to spare?
5. (US, dialect, Southern US) A hive made of a section of a hollow gum tree; hence, any roughly made hive.
6. (US, dialect, Southern US) A vessel or bin made from a hollow log.
7. (US, dialect) A rubber overshoe.

Derived terms

Related terms

• gumma
• gummatous
• gummic acid
• gummiferous
• gummite
• gummose
• gummosis
• gummosity
• gummous

Verb

1. To apply an adhesive or gum to; to stiffen with gum.
• ShakespeareHe frets like a gummed velvet.
2. (colloquial, with up) To impair the functioning of a thing or process.That cheap oil will gum up the engine valves.The new editor can gum up your article with too many commas.

Derived terms

• gum up
• gum up the works

Anagrams

• mug